Champions
by VacioArconte
Summary: Two champions, one former and one current, decide to leave their respective homes, adventuring across the Pokémon world. Only time will tell what will occur when their paths cross.
1. Introduction

Intro

* * *

He wasn't a mute. Sure, he rarely talked, but when he felt he had to respond he did.

Maybe this was why he didn't have many friends. It's hard to develop camaraderie without communication.

Of course, he was extremely close to his Pokémon, having some sort of telepathic connection, people surmised.

They weren't far off. Non-verbal communication with Pokémon was just one of his abilities. He was an Aura user. Not an attacker, that wasn't his style. He could heal and shield to great extents, one time shielding a family of Taillow and Swellow from a Rock Slide.

No one knew of his talents, though. That was far too risky. So he concealed his battling skill and his abilities on top of Mt. Silver. Challengers would make their way up the mountain, hoping to battle him. He rotated his Pokémon, allowing each one to sweep an opponent's team.

But he was bored. This self-imposed exile had allowed him and his Pokémon to hone their abilities to extreme levels, but they were restless.

He didn't know of anyone who could defeat him. So he decided to complete the Pokédex, traveling through the regions to catch them all.

He would leave tomorrow.

* * *

She was a bit of a know-it-all.

She liked it though, wanted to learn all she could. "Curious" would be the one word she would use to describe herself.

She had ventured through Sinnoh, knew the region like the back of her hand.

But she was champion, and so inexorably bound to this place.

Yet she tired of it. There were few battlers, besides Lucas. Her pupil was well-groomed, ready to be champion. She felt a touch of loyalty to her region, but she knew staying here, stagnant in her quest for knowledge, she would never be quite satisfied.

She would leave tomorrow.

* * *

Disclaimer for story: I do not own Pokemon or any related ideas.

Updates are not guaranteed yet. Still deciding on what to do.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Red

In the end, he went against picking the trench coat. He needed something to hide him but not attract attention. He settled for a red hoodie. Fitting, he supposed, thinking of his name.

He didn't really like to associate himself with the name. He was a simple man, with little need for the mystery that surrounded his given name. He decided to travel under the name Moreno, Spanish for brown. He couldn't very well call himself Rojo.

He walked to the counter, slapped some money on the table, and asked for some food for the Pokémon and himself. They were able to start a little garden in one of the caves (thanks to Venusaur) but since that source had disappeared he figured he had better have some food for the road.

He set off on to Route 28, slightly dreading his eventual pass through the Pokémon League Gate, but realized that showing off any of his Pokémon would be a valid excuse for being in that area of the region. He meandered through, with his trusty Pikachu on his shoulder. He paid little attention, but one glare from Pikachu managed to silence any potential challenges from the tall grass. As he neared the league gate, he noticed a trainer milling around. Trying to avoid notice, he put his head down and quickened his pace.

"Hey, you!" the trainer exclaimed, "I challenge you to a battle!"

Smirking slightly, the opposing trainer sent out a Dragonair.

Impassively, Red let Pikachu hop down from his shoulder.

The Dragonair's trainer allowed a look of surprise to cross his face, before furrowing his brow in concentration.

"Dragonair, let's start out with a Dragon Rage!" the trainer commanded.

"_Dig," _Red suggested.

Pikachu dove under the ground, avoiding the blast of purple flames.

"_Iron Tail, Pika," _Red said.

Pikachu burst from the ground, knocking the Dragonair into the air and out.

Seeing the one hit knockout of his Pokémon, the trainer decided not to pursue an additional battle.

Offering a congratulatory hand filled with the payout of the match, the Dragonair's trainer walked towards Red.

Red held out an upraised palm, indicating that the money would not be necessary. He briefly shook the trainer's hand, before entering the Pokémon league gate.

Passing through, the guards, alerted to his presence, held a hand out.

"Gonna need to see your ID, sir," the guard stated.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Red dug through his pack, glad he had packed the card.

"This is 5 years out of date!" the guard said, shocked.

Red shrugged, hoping the guard wouldn't wheedle an explanation out of him.

The guard waved his hand, allowing Red through.

"Welcome to Johto!"

**Hope you've enjoyed so far. **

**Reference:**

**All movesets based on Gen IV games. Battling is anime-style, with an unlimited number of moves. This will allow for some more entertaining battles later. Characters and locations will be game based, although some anime elements may be included for plot purposes. **

**Story: Not sure, probably switching off between Red and Cynthia's point of view until an undisclosed point in time.**

**Disclaimer for entire story:**

**None of the elements in this story belong to me. All elements of the story belong to Nintendo, I only have rights to the plot.**

**Thank you for reading.**

**(This story originally posted under the pen name ProtossPianist98, out of embarrassment it has been changed to VacioArconte.)**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Beginning

As she ambled down to the director's office, she had a moment of indecision. Was this really what she wanted?

"I quit." Too late.

"Cynthia! You cannot do this! We are not ready for such a monumental upheaval of our orderly system!" the director sputtered.

"Lucas is ready. I have faith in him," she said, smiling at her student's opportunity to experience the life of a champion.

"I cannot condone this!" the director said, fumbling for a reason for her to stay.

"It's not up to you. Goodbye, Director, and give Lucas my best," Cynthia said, departing the room with a swish of her robe.

* * *

She strode into the open air, a sense of adventure rushing through her veins.

She lazily tossed Lucario's Pokéball into the air, content her decision to adventure.

Realizing she had no Pokémon with Fly, she realized she would have to travel through Victory Road.

She shrugged, setting off into the cave. Throwing Roserade's Pokéball, she asked for a Flash. Her path illuminated, she walked forward, ready to face any foe.

* * *

Several hours later, she emerged, a bit tired from her trek, but her Pokémon as energetic as ever. They were far too powerful to be bothered by the Pokémon in Victory Road, and the trainers didn't bother challenging Cynthia, the recognition of her stifling their seemingly insatiable need to battle.

She arrived at the Pokémon Center outside the Road, entered and sat down at the PC. She selected her Staraptor and received the Pokéball from Nurse Joy. Upon contact with her hand, Staraptor burst out of the ball, startling both Cynthia and the nurse. The nurse shot her a stern look, and Cynthia had to suppress a smile as she recalled Staraptor. She would have to make sure to train with Staraptor before the flight to Canalave.

"Staraptor, go!" she yelled once she exited the center.

She decided to test Gastrodon's abilities against an airborne opponent.

"Gastrodon, engage!"

"Staraptor, start out with a Brave Bird!" she yelled, pondering a good counter.

"Gastrodon, counter with a Mud Shot," she decided, secretly hoping for a dodge from Staraptor.

Her desires were fulfilled as Staraptor spiraled around the attack, and she remembered how much Staraptor enjoyed showing off.

The attack slammed into Gastrodon, clearly taking a toll on the Sea Slug Pokémon. "Gastro!"

"Gastrodon, retaliate with a Rock Slide!" she commanded, seeing Gastrodon's horns flare with white light.

The ground erupted, the rocks delivering a glancing blow to Staraptor's wing. The Predator Pokémon squawked indignantly, before righting itself.

"Back at it with a Close Combat!" she yelled, knowing this would faint Gastrodon.

"Gastrodon, you know how to counter this! Use Hydro Pump!" she cried.

Staraptor flew into Gastrodon, knocking into the air, before unleashing a barrage of blows with curled talons. Gastrodon, shuddering from the impacts, managed to let loose a Hydro Pump.

Staraptor flew across the field and smashed into a tree, but managed to tumble to its feet.

Gastrodon was slumped over, the Close Combat having exhausted the Pokémon.

"Gastrodon, return. Good work," Cynthia said, clipping the Pokéball to her belt.

"You did well, Staraptor. I see you're still as sharp as ever," she complimented, glad that she had a fresh addition to her team. She loved her team to death, but after 5 years she was a bit too familiar with them.

She returned Staraptor to his ball, and walked back inside the Pokémon Center.

She smiled at the Nurse, who returned the smile, obviously having forgiven the earlier outburst.

"Would you heal these two, please?" she asked, before turning away to look at the TV.

"Breaking News! The trainer atop Mt. Silver has left! The powerful trainer, who has never been defeated during his stay on the mountain, has suddenly left. Several potential challengers said he was not in his usual spot," the news reporter finished.

"Huh, how 'bout that. Wonder what he could be doing?" she murmured, before heading up to her room for the night.

* * *

Red was marching through Route 26, oblivious to the cold, solely focused on finding a resting place for the night. He decided on a crevice between the rocky hills to shelter himself from the wind. He released Charizard, who enveloped the twenty-eight year old trainer with an orange wing.

As Red slowly drifted off to sleep, he smiled at the adventure that awaited.

* * *

Cynthia awoke in the morning, collected her Pokéballs from the Nurse, and headed outside. Releasing Staraptor and climbing on its back, she released a cry of excitement, her hair flapping in the wind.

She hopped off Staraptor in Canalave, and recalled her trusty Pokémon. Striding towards the dock, she noticed some young boys looking at her in awe.

"Hello, boys, how are you?" she asked, curious as to their response.

"We're fine," they chorused, glancing at her waist eagerly.

Laughing, Cynthia unclipped her Garchomp's ball, and threw it into the air. Garchomp glided down to the ground in front of the boys, receiving a wealth of 'Ooh's and 'Aah's.

She handed each boy an empty Pokéball.

"Go out, adventure for yourself, and maybe someday I'll have the pleasure of battling you," she said.

The boys nodded, running for the gate to Route 218.

Smiling, Cynthia boarded the boat, and departed for New Bark Town.

* * *

Surfing through Route 27, Red twiddled his thumbs, anxious for his adventure to begin. Seeing the roofs of houses on the horizon, he leapt to his feet in anticipation.

Jumping off of Blastoise's back, Red landed on the green grass of New Bark Town.

As he trotted towards the lab, he heard a commotion.

A group of men dressed in black were swarming the house, clearly without consent, as evidenced by the Professor waving his hands in distress.

"_Blastoise, Hydro Cannon," _he said, motioning to avoid the Professor.

The darkly-dressed men were swept to the side, and before they scampered off he glimpsed a large red R on the front of their clothing.

"_Team Rocket," _Red groaned.

* * *

Apologies for the delay, had a backpacking trip.

Next chapter our two characters will meet, and hopefully longer chapters will ensue as the real adventure begins.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dashing to the Professor's side, Red checked for any serious injuries, but found only slight bruises.

He helped the Professor to his feet, before leading him inside and into a chair.

"Thank you, my boy! Without your help all of the Pokémon would have been stolen," he thanked, glancing curiously at Red.

Red simply nodded, and gestured to the three Pokéballs on a stand in the center of the room.

"Oh! Those are the starter Pokémon for the Johto region. The breeders went on strike, something about Pokéfood, so I can only let you have one," he said.

Red nodded, and asked which one he was pointing to.

"That's Totodile. He's feisty, but loyal," the Professor said, smiling as he remembered its antics.

Red grinned, ready to train a new Pokémon. But it was getting late, and he was slightly tired from the day's events, so he decided to spend the night in the town inn.

* * *

Cynthia lounged by the pool, the sea breeze blowing her hair all about. Gastrodon was playing in the pool, while Staraptor circled overhead.

She tried to remember what she knew about the Johto region. All she could seem to recall was the region's Professor, Elm.

No matter, she thought, mystery was a good element of any adventure.

She drifted off into the land of dreams, the gentle sun lulling her to sleep.

* * *

She awoke to the sound of the ship's horn, signaling their arrival at the small port of New Bark Town.

Her heart racing with excitement, she leapt off the boat as soon as it was moored, the sense of adventure once again filling her. She jogged to the laboratory, her legs straining from the unusual exertion.

Crashing through the door, she waved a hello to the lab aides, and strolled toward Professor Elm.

"Well, Cynthia, I didn't expect to see you here! How have you been?" the Professor inquired.

"I've been well, sir. I've decided to adventure again, and so I'd like to take a starter Pokémon," she said.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't offer you the full selection, but I do have two left," he said, gesturing to the pedestal.

"The one on the right is Chikorita, a grass type. The one to the left is Cyndaquil, a fire type," he informed.

Cynthia mulled it over, before deciding on Cyndaquil. She didn't have a fire-type on her team, and so Cyndaquil seemed like the most logical decision.

"I'll take Cyndaquil," she said, verbally affirming her decision.

"Alrighty then! Cyndaquil is a joy to raise, and boy, do they get fierce!" the Professor chuckled, recalling some personal memory.

Cynthia raised an eyebrow at this, but thanked the Professor and took her leave.

* * *

After she had exited, she figured she should probably train a little with her new Pokémon.

She walked over to the training field, only to see it in use. A man stood, impassively, as a small blue alligator tried to battle a gargantuan turtle. The turtle stood there, murmuring 'Blast blast toise' to the small gator.

As she observed, the man withdrew his Blastoise and stood out on the field.

This surprised Cynthia. What could he be doing?

Without command, the blue Pokémon, Totodile if she recalled correctly, launched a series of Water Gun attacks, trying to drench the man, dressed in a simple red shirt. The man nimbly leapt over the attacks, until Totodile devised a strategy. To Cynthia's amazement, she saw the Totodile launch a series around the man, effectively trapping him in place, before nailing him in the chest.

She saw a small smile grace the man's lips, before he pulled Totodile into an embrace.

"That was incredible," she said, only to see the man's head snap up, focused on her.

Relaxing, he nodded.

A simple nod to address a champion?

She supposed maybe he hadn't heard of her.

To confirm she asked, "Do you recognize me?"

He shook his head, confused.

"Do you not talk?" she inquired, legitimately curious as to the nature of his curt responses.

"I do," he whispered, nearly inaudible in his soft tone.

Something about her… she was interesting, he decided.

"How did you do that? Your Totodile moved without a single command from you," she said.

"I asked it mentally," he whispered, using his preset answers to the usual questions.

Confused, she looked at him. He shrugged, not really knowing the nature of his abilities himself.

"Well, that was interesting, so I challenge you to a battle!" she yelled, retreating to the other side of the field.

Surprised, he motioned for Totodile to take the field. Where was she going with this?

"Starter v. starter it is," she said, "Go, Cyndaquil!"

The Totodile and his trainer stood, their postures identical.

"Alright, we'll go first," she said, "Hit him with a Tackle!"

The Totodile dodged easily, jumping to the side and then spraying the Fire Mouse Pokémon with a burst of water.

Annoyed, she yelled, "Now, Cyndaquil, a Quick Attack!"

Cyndaquil moved in a blur, striking the Totodile and throwing him back.

Totodile tried the same tactic it had used on its trainer, preventing Cyndaquil from dodging and resulting in a direct hit, the water extinguishing a portion of Cyndaquil's flames.

The super-effective water attacks had taken their toll, and Cyndaquil was looking pretty tired from its first battle.

"Alright, Cyndaquil, this is our last chance! Defense Curl, and use Ember while you're rolling!" The flames created a ring around Cyndaquil, and the flames burned white-hot, signifying the addition of a new move – Flame Wheel.

The Flame Wheel barreled towards Totodile, who responded with a direct Water Gun.

The Water Gun impeded the momentum, but the fire-type attack crashed into Totodile, sending it flying.

Her eyes trained on the currently crashing Totodile, Cynthia failed to notice her fainted Cyndaquil.

Meanwhile, Totodile had recovered from its flight, though it was weakened and badly burned.

Noticing the state of her Pokémon, Cynthia drew out a Pokéball and returned Cyndaquil to her belt.

The trainer turned to leave, his Totodile waddling behind.

"Wait! I want a real battle. You're a strong trainer, and we're both about to embark on a journey through Johto," she said. This man intrigued her. "If I win, we travel together," she continued.

He nodded, but cleared his throat to say, "If you can beat one of my Pokémon, we can travel together."

She glared, insulted by his arrogance. "Well, then, you might as well consider us traveling partners," she said, not letting his insult go without a counter.

"Go! Garchomp!" she yelled.

The man nodded, and the Pikachu on his shoulder jumped onto the field.

She almost burst out laughing! He believed a Pikachu could take out even one member of her team! The thought was unbelievable.

"Garchomp, start out with a Draco Meteor," she yelled, seeing the familiar purple meteors rain from the sky. The Pikachu jumped on top of one before it hit the ground, and vaulted into the air.

Its tail shining with a metallic light, the Pikachu began batting the meteors towards Garchomp.

Shocked, Cynthia fumbled for ideas. But it was too late. The powerful Draco Meteors, combined with the Iron Tail, knocked Garchomp onto its back, only to be finished off by an Iron Tail to the chest.

Pikachu did a backflip off the prostrate form of Garchomp, as Cynthia stood with her mouth agape.

Shocked, Cynthia sent out Gastrodon, hoping for a different result.

"Alright, Gastrodon, go at it with a Stone Edge!" she commanded.

Pikachu hopped to the side, evading the hit with ease, probably due in part to the attack's low accuracy.

"Darn it," Cynthia cursed, as she watched a knot of grass pop up from underneath Gastrodon, completely leveling the Sea Slug Pokémon. Though Gastrodon was fairly light, the times four type effectiveness completely drained its HP.

She recalled Gastrodon, now irked that such a small, seemingly weak Pokémon could take out a third of her team.

Thinking of a strategy, she let out Milotic.

"Wait for it, girl," she said, hoping for a small mistake on his part.

True to her idea, the Pikachu began charging up energy, a cloud forming over Milotic.

"Before it hits you, Mirror Coat!" she yelled, hoping her command would be late enough.

For a minute, it looked like the strategy would succeed as the trainer's eyes widened with surprise. But then the Pikachu used Agility straight towards the gathering thundercloud.

He began spinning in air, a yellow glow forming around him. The lightning bolt crashed into him, increasing the ball of electricity.

Pikachu rocketed towards Milotic, the Volt Tackle passing straight through the Mirror Coat and into Milotic, knocking the Water Pokémon out in one hit.

She sent out Spiritomb, hoping that the lack of super-effective moves would put her at an advantage.

"Spiritomb, Shadow Pulse!" she yelled, hoping that her invented attack, consisting of Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse, would at least be enough to wind the Electric Mouse Pokémon.

Pikachu used an additional Agility, moving its speeds to near supersonic. Dodging the slow moving balls Dark and Ghost-type energies, Pikachu found a space to charge up its Thunder attack. While charging, rain began to fall from the sky. Now that rain was falling, Thunder wouldn't even have a chance of missing.

"Before it hits, use Sucker Punch!" she yelled, at least hoping to weaken the electric Pokémon. As Pikachu's attack was launched, she saw a fist formed from shadow knock it to the side. But as she recalled Spiritomb, she saw him getting to his feet easily.

Trying to regain some composure, she sent out Roserade, one of her oldest friends. If Roserade couldn't make a scratch, then she was hopeless.

"Alright, Roserade, start out with an Energy Ball!" she yelled, wondering if the attack would have any effect. Pikachu shook the attack off with relative ease, but if she examined its movements closely she could discern a slight fatigue.

"Keep whittling it down, Roserade, use Sludge Bomb!" she said, crossing her fingers for the attack to poison Pikachu.

Her prayers were answered, and Pikachu began to glow a sickly purple, indicating the status condition.

Her hopes were quickly diminished as an Iron Tail knocked Roserade across the arena.

Roserade managed to get back up, before being knocked out by a Quick Attack.

Pikachu looked a little wobbly from the poison, so Cynthia felt she had a chance.

"Go, Lucario!" she yelled.

Knowing that Pikachu's best strategy was to avoid all attacks and charge up a Thunder. The rain was still in effect, so Thunder would almost certainly knock out Lucario.

Cynthia couldn't afford a miss. "Lucario, Aura Sphere!" she yelled, seeing the man's eyes widen in surprise.

The Pikachu unleashed a Thunder, which followed Lucario's evasions around the field, before striking it, knocking it out cold. But the poison and Aura Sphere had taken their toll on Pikachu, who collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed, hopefully I will have another update sometime this weekend.

Since even a Level 100 sweep of Cynthia's team is improbable, I decided to remove the level cap, figuring it wasn't realistic. Improvement is always possible.

Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Both trainers looked on in shock as they both saw their defeated Pokémon.

"_How is just one of his Pokémon so strong?" _Cynthia wondered.

"_What happens now?" _Red thought.

"Looks like I'll be traveling with you," she said, smiling precariously, hoping that he would hold up his end of the deal.

He nodded, unsure as to the social protocol regarding two partners.

"_Looks like I'll have to be the leader," _Cynthia thought.

"We had better go heal our Pokémon," she said.

His attention returning to the field, Red indeed noticed the poor condition of his Pikachu.

Scrambling towards him, Red scooped Pikachu into his armed and scurried towards the Pokémon Center, anxious to protect his Pokémon from further harm.

Cynthia chuckled at his antics, and then remembered the premise behind them.

All of her Pokémon were in poor shape, needing immediate attention.

He saw her once again, inside the center, while waiting for his Pokémon to be returned to him.

He nodded to her, out of respect. No one else had been able to even scratch his Pikachu. Certainly, with more practice she could be a worthy competitor.

Smirking at him, she placed her Pokémon on the counter.

"Could you heal these for me, please?" she asked, the Nurse smiling serenely in response.

She sat down next to Red, giving him a sideways glance.

"You know, you're the first trainer I've battled whose name I did not know," she said.

"Red," he said.

"Sorry?" she asked, wondering if she had misheard.

"Red," he repeated, a little more forcefully this time.

Taking this information in, her mind whirled. Was this the man from Mt. Silver?

She decided not to pursue that line of questioning. Instead, she thought it more prudent to ask about their adventure.

"Where shall we go first?" she asked, trying to coax some sort of response out of him.

"Cherrygrove," he muttered, showing her the map he had picked up the night before.

She nodded her assent, the map indicating that Rock Tunnel was a long and treacherous journey. Besides, the first gym was in Violet Town, directly after Cherrygrove.

He gestured to the counter, signaling the recovery of their Pokémon.

They stood and collected their Pokéballs, before strolling outside.

"Do you have supplies?" he asked, wondering if he would have to provide for this woman.

"Don't need any, save Pokéfood," she replied, hoping her lack of necessities would lighten any burden he felt entitled to.

He grunted in reply, and then strolled towards the Pokémart, presumably for a few Pokéballs.

Sighing, she followed, hoping she could withstand the lack of communication.

To her surprise, all he grabbed was a dry erase board and some markers, before heading to the cashier and handing her some bills.

The cashier tried to give Red his change, but instead he motioned for her to keep it.

_Finally_, he wrote, _I'm tired of talking._

"Why don't you like to talk?" Cynthia asked, not seeing any real explanation.

_Too much information transmitted,_ he wrote, _it's too easy to hide behind words. Writing is honest._

"Fair enough," she said, disagreeing slightly, but talking for all of one's life tends to make one uncomfortable with the idea of the cessation of verbal communication.

They strolled out of the New Bark Pokémart, and turned towards Route 29.

"It feels good to be on the Routes again," Cynthia commented.

Red simply nodded in agreement, and then noticed a Sentret hiding in the tall grass.

Holding out his Dex, Red scanned the Scout Pokémon, revealing its Normal typing.

Pulling Totodile's ball from his belt, he threw it into the air, revealing an overly excited Big Jaw Pokémon.

_Start out with a Water Gun, Totodile, _Red thought.

Totodile responded to the command with vigor, the orb of water expelled from its mouth with incredible force, knocking the Sentret over and out.

Red threw a Pokéball, which shook the familiar three times before glowing white, signaling the capture.

"Are you aiming to catch them all?" Cynthia asked, curious as to the capture of the relatively weak Pokémon.

_Professor Oak is an excellent researcher. He deserves all the information he can get on Pokémon for his studies, _Red wrote.

Cynthia nodded her assent, and they continued down the Route to Cherrygrove. Sometime before they planned to set up camp for the night, Cynthia spotted a Hoothoot, and gestured to the Pokémon.

"You interested?" she asked.

_Not really. But if you aren't going to catch it I might as well,_ he wrote.

"Sure, why not?" she replied, and tossed Cyndaquil's ball into the air.

The Fire-type Pokémon growled at the Hoothoot, causing the Pokémon to squawk at Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, Ember!" she yelled, hoping to end this quickly.

The Hoothoot managed to fly out of the way of the attack, chirping at the poorly aimed move.

"Concentrate, Cyndaquil, use Tackle!" Cynthia commanded, watching the flames on Cyndaquil's back erupt that rocketed the small starter towards the Hoothoot.

The Hoothoot, looking tired now, ceased the flapping of its wings, and set down on the ground.

Hoothoot lunged towards Cyndaquil, who managed to brush off the Peck attack.

Cyndaquil retaliated with a close range Ember, knocking the Owl Pokémon to the ground.

Cynthia threw the Pokéball, which shook three times before clicking to confirm the capture.

"Alright, we'll call that a successful day," Cynthia said, as she unrolled her sleeping bag.

Red nodded sleepily, before turning over to go to sleep.

"Good night, Red," Cynthia whispered.

Expecting no reply, Cynthia allowed her eyelids to droop shut. But before she could drift off into the embrace of sleep, she heard Red's whispered, "Good night, Cynthia."


End file.
